Protection Detail
by Jessica B
Summary: When a scared woman comes in off the street, it's up to John and Dorian to protect her. This is made harder by the fact that she doesn't trust droids. But as she starts to come around, Dorian notices a change in John, too.
1. Chapter 1

John Kennex walked to his desk in the squad room with a fresh cup of coffee. It wasn't the best coffee in the world, but it was strong, which was what he needed. He'd had a rough couple of weeks, and sleep wasn't coming easily.

His partner, Dorian, walked in a few minutes later, bright and cheery after a full night's charge. John pretended to study a case file, not quite ready to deal with the android.

"Good morning," Dorian said as he approached.

"Morning."

Dorian sat down in a chair next to John's desk. "Still having trouble sleeping?"

"No," John said flatly before sipping his coffee. His eyes never left the screen in front of him.

"You're a horrible liar when you're tired."

John gave him a sideways glance. Blue lines ran across Dorian's face, just beneath the surface, before he spoke again.

"Still backed up, I see."

"Excuse me?" John put down his mug and turned in his chair to face Dorian.

"You're particularly grumpy today. I've noticed it's been building. Your job has relieved some of your tension, but we haven't had a high-stakes case in a while. You're still backed up, and you have no outlet."

"How about I empty my clip into your face? That'll release some tension."

"John, I'm only-"

"I told you not to scan my testicles again... It's weird, man."

John stood and walked away. A moment later, an officer from the main entrance came into the room.

"We need help out front. I think we have some kind of nut job out here."

John motioned for Dorian to follow and they went to the front desk. He could hear a woman's slightly raised, panicked voice before he saw her. A brunette, likely in her early thirties, stood at the front desk. She was leaning over the counter, pleading to speak with a detective. Her eyes were wide and her hands were shaking.

"I'm trying to keep my cool here," she said, "but I need you to listen to me."

"Ma'am," John said, "I'm Detective Kennex. Is there something we can do for you?"

"Yes," he said. A look of pure relief washed over her face. She stood in front of John, looking up slightly into his eyes. "I need to talk to you, alone. I've had two attempts on my life already today, and I'm afraid he'll be successful with the next one."

"Well, ma'am, we can use a conference room. An MX will escort you-"

"No. No droids."

"I'm sorry, protocol-"

"You can have as many humans in that room as you want. Strap me down if it makes you feel better. I'm not a danger to you. No droids."

John stared into the woman's eyes for a moment. His gut told him she wasn't lying. She thought she was in danger. It was his job to find out why.

"Okay," he said. "Follow me."

Dorian secretly did a quick scan of the woman for weapons. When he found none, he gave John a nod. The nod was returned and he escorted the woman through the squad room, into a glass-walled conference room. When Dorian tried to follow them in, John blocked the door.

"Why don't you go get the captain," John said.

"It's because I'm a droid, isn't it?"

"At least until we find out why she doesn't want any around," John whispered. "We need her calm and focused. She won't be if you're here."

"Okay," Dorian said with a nod. "I'll wait at your desk."

John closed the door as Dorian went to get the captain. He sat at the table, to her right, and noticed that she was playing with her fingers. He wondered if it was a nervous habit, or an honest reaction to being scared and trying to stay calm.

"So," John started, "can I get your name?"

"Jessica Townsend." She looked nervously around the squad room, which she could still see as it became more and more crowded. "Can we do something about the glass walls? I know no one can hear us, but I still feel..."

"Exposed?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, me too. I complain about it all the time," John said as he pulled up a holographic keyboard. After a few key strokes, the glass walls became opaque. "I mean, what's wrong with good old solid walls, right?"

Jessica didn't answer, but a small, nervous smile pulled at her lips.

"Okay," John said. "You said there were two attempts on your life today?"

"Yes."

"Tell me about them."

"First, my driver."

"Your driver?"

"I work for Neilson Advanced. I'm an assistant to one of the top executives. A car and driver is one of the perks." John nodded, so Jessica continued. "My driver, a droid, took a sharp turn off of the road on the way home and picked up speed headed straight for a huge tree. I had to climb into the front and fight for control of the wheel. We just barely missed the tree, and then the droid just collapsed."

"Malfunction?"

"No. Once I was home, my housekeeper, also a droid, tried to strangle me."

Jessica pulled down the high collar of her shirt, revealing large red marks around the bottom of her neck.

"I have no idea how I got away," she said. "Adrenaline... fear... I just ran out of the house. I found a cab with a human driver and came here. I need protection."

John was about to ask a question when the captain walked in. She sat next to John and he introduced them.

"Ms. Townsend, this is Captain Sandra Maldonado." John turned to the captain and filled her in on what he had been told so far, then he gave his attention back to Jessica. "What makes you think these were anything more than malfunctions?"

"I saw something that I wasn't supposed to see."

"What was that," Captain Maldonado asked.

"My boss sent me several files to review today, and I'm sure there was one that I wasn't supposed to get. It had detailed information about droid hacking and jobs."

"What kind of jobs," John asked.

"The back robbery last week, where the security droid 'malfunctioned' and shot the human guard? This file had details of the droid specs, date and time of the robbery... but the time stamp on the file was dated two weeks before it happened."

"So," John said, "you're saying that the droid didn't malfunction. That it was..."

"Hacked. Remotely. And that wasn't the only instance in the file. There were a lot more. I believe my boss realized he sent me the file. He would have seen that I read it, and now he's trying to kill me."

"What is your boss' name," Captain Maldonado asked.

"Peter Alexander."

"And you think he's capable of doing something like this?"

"He's smart. He's got degrees in engieneering, robotics... anything tech. I'm sure he has the skill."

"Do you still have this file that you saw?"

"I, uh... I sent myself a copy before I left work." She looked at them with a bit of guilt. "We're not supposed to do that, but he's not supposed to be hacking droids, so..."

"No," John said. "If he's really doing this, then you did good."

"Can you pull up the file from here," Maldonado asked.

"Yeah."

John swiped the keyboard toward her and she pulled up her networked files. A moment later, virtual papers filled the air in front of them. John and Maldonado began sliding the papers toward different walls, organizing them by the recent crimes they recognized.

"There are more than a dozen robberies here," John said. "A few murders... all involving supposed malfunctioning droids."

With a few taps of the holographic keyboard, Maldonado collapsed the file, and the room was empty again.

"Excuse us for one moment," Maldonado said. She and John stepped out of the room. "What do you think," she asked him.

"My gut says she's genuinely afraid. She doesn't seem to be lying."

"I think you're right. I think we should give that file to Rudy, see if he can do anything with it. Maybe he can find a way for us to start looking into this without alerting her boss that we know, or that we have her."

"Good idea."

"We'll put a couple of droids on her for prot-"

"She won't have it," John said. "She demanded to talk to a detective, and wanted the droids away from her."

"She thinks he can hack police droids?"

"Looks like she doesn't want to risk it."

"What about Dorian?"

"It might take some convincing."

"It will, but you see the bigger picture here, right?"

"What's that?"

"Dorian is your partner," she said. "If he gets protection detail..."

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"Nope. Be prepared."

The two went back inside. Jessica, who had been sitting with her head in her hands, elbows on the table, looked up at the sound of the door.

"Ms. Townsend-" Maldonado started."

"Please, call me Jessica."

The captain nodded. "We're going to put a protection detail on you."

"Thank you." Jessica let out a sigh, and tears of relief threatened to spill from her eyes.

"I'll need you to tell us exactly where you left your driver. Is the droid housekeeper still at your home?"

"It was when I left. If he wants it to look like a malfunction, it probably still is."

"Okay. You can stay in this room for now. I'll post two guards at the door. Not droids... but I need you to consider something for me. A droid can be far superior to a person in some ways when it comes to protection detail."

Jessica began shaking her head. "No. If he knows where I am, he can hack your droids."

"We don't know that for sure."

"Well, I don't want to take that chance, okay?" Jessica's voice started to rise again, and John sat next to her.

"It's okay," he said. "My partner... he's a droid." Jessica started shaking her head again, but John stopped her. "Hang on. He's different. He has what's called a synthetic soul. He feels emotions and can make moral judgements, almost exactly like you or me. He doesn't just blindly follow programming."

"Really?"

"Really. Now, the captain has already told me if my partner gets put on your detail, then I do, too. So, it wouldn't just be a droid. You'd have a person there, too."

"A highly trained officer," Captain Maldonado added, "who is very good at his job."

"I don't know," Jessica said.

"Think about it," the captain said. "Detective Kennex is going to help start the investigation. You sit tight. Let the guards know if there's anything you need, and you can give me an answer later. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Kennex, stay with her until I can post a couple of uniforms outside."

John nodded as she walked out. "So," he said after a moment, "do you not like being called Ms.?"

"No, it's not that. I've just never been an overly formal person. I kind of like the idea of it, being polite and all, but it just doesn't seem to matter when your life is on the line."

"Understood."

"Your partner..." She seemed to hesitate. "Is he the one who walked to this room with us? The one you sent away?"

"He is."

"He didn't like being sent away, did he?"

"Not really," John said with a grin, "but he gets that you're scared. He agreed to stay away until we found out why."

"Agreed?"

"I told you, he doesn't just follow orders."

There was a knock at the door, and John stood to open it. The two guards were at the door. He turned back to Jessica.

"Just try to stay calm. If you can think of anything else useful, tell these guys and they'll come find me or the captain."

Jessica nodded, but as John turned to leave, she stood.

"Detective... I accept. You and your partner. No other droids."

"Okay. I'll let the captain know... And you can call me John."

"Thank you," she said with a small smile.

John nodded. "Sit tight."

He closed the door behind him as he left the room, then headed to his desk to talk to Dorian.


	2. Chapter 2

John and Dorian arrived at the scene of what would have been a horrible car accident. The droid driver was still in the car, slumped over the steering wheel. They had followed the skid marks off of the main road, then the tracks through the grass that led to the giant tree that Jessica had talked about.

Dorian scanned the tire tracks, then he looked at the tree. "Based on the accelaration, she would have been killed on impact."

They walked along the tire tracks until they reached the point where they swerved.

"This must be where she got control and turned," John said. "I'd say just in time."

"Looks like she does well under pressure," Dorian said.

"Yeah, maybe. She was shaken up pretty bad, though. Not that I blame her." John walked over to the forensics team. "I'm gonna take this droid. Put it in my car."

"Yes, sir."

A couple of guys carried the droid, and John walked behind them with Dorian.

"John, they could have brought that droid back."

"I wanna make sure it gets back to Rudy, right away, untampered."

"Do you think cops are involved?"

"I'm not ruling it out. There were lots of crimes in that file... all classified along with droid malfunctions. Could just be that's really what it looked like, but if it's not..."

John had given Dorian the file, so Dorian did a quick scan-through of all the police files related to the crimes involved as they got in the car.

"I see no connections between the investigations. Different  
officers worked the cases. Some worked on more than one, but not all of them."

"Good," John said. "I still wanna be careful. And let's just keep this between us for now. She already doesn't want droids around. If she thinks cops are involved she won't accept our help at all."

"Understood."

Since Jessica's house wasn't too far from the accident, they drove there next. The house was pretty much undisturbed accept for the living room. An overturned table and broken lamp showed signs of a struggle. The droid lay next to it. Once again, John had the droid loaded into his car, and they headed back to the station.

They took the droids to Rudy. If anyone could find something suspicious, it would be him.

"What exactly am I looking for," Rudy asked, his English accent flowing.

"Anything out of the ordinary," John said. "Any signs that the droid was tampered with or hacked."

"You'll have to do more than the standard search," Dorian added. "The droids in the other cases went through the basic tests, and came out labeled as malfunctioning."

"And we're thinking these weren't malfunctions," Rudy asked.

"Exactly," John said.

"I will do my best, but it will take some time."

"Thanks, Rudy," John said as he walked out of the room.

With Dorian following, John waked back to the conference room where Jessica was waiting. As they approached the two guards, John turned to Dorian.

"Look, she agreed to let you help protect her, but I guarantee you she's gonna be keeping a close eye on you. Be yourself, but try not to do a lot of the stuff with the lights and..."

"Be less droid?"

"If at all possible."

John patted Dorian's shoulder and they walked into the room. Jessica was up and pacing, biting her thumb nail with her eyes focused on the floor. Her head snapped up when John entered, and her hand fell to her side when Dorian joined him. John could see that she was on alert.

"Jessica, this is Dorian."

Dorian nodded without approaching her. "Nice to meet you, Jessica."

"Hi."

John wanted to avoid tension, if possible, so he filled her in. "We found your car and went to your house. Both droids were still there, and they are now in the very capable hands of our droid expert. The forensics team didn't find anything weird at your house. No break-in. Doesn't look like anyone else was there. So, we're gonna take you back there to get things you'll need, for at least a few days... maybe longer. We can't be sure how long this will take."

"We're not staying at my house?"

"No. If this is your boss, we don't know how far he's willing to go, and we don't want him to know you're with the police. Dorian and I will bring you there in my car, wearing street clothes. You can send your boss a communication telling him that two of your droids malfunctioned. You reported it, police confirmed they malfunctioned. It stressed you out so bad that you need time off."

"Do you really think he'll believe that?"

"Probably not. But the important thing is not so much that he doesn't think you know, but that he doesn't think the cops know. At least, for a little while."

"So, where will we be staying?"

"An underground bunker. It's made of concrete, so locators and other signals can't be detected. He won't be able to find you."

Jessica nodded. John pulled up the keyboard and the walls turned to glass again.

"Ready to go?"

Jessica nodded and walked hesitantly past Dorian, who took a step back.

"Dorian," John said, "why don't you go first. I'll hang back a little with her."

Dorian nodded and headed for the garage where John's car was parked. Jessica glanced up at John as they walked.

"Thank you," she said.

"For?"

"Asking Dorian to go first? So, I can keep an eye on him, right?"

A grin pulled at John's lips. "Now, what makes you think that's why I did that?"

She shrugged. "Just a hunch."

As they approached the car, Dorian was about to slide into the back seat, but Jessica called out.

"I'll take the back." She looked at John, "if that's okay."

"That's fine."

John nodded to Dorian, and Dorian moved to the front passenger seat. Jessica slid into the back seat behind John.

"So," Jessica said once they were on the road, "is there anything I'm not allowed to bring?"

"Not really," John said. "Anything that requires a signal won't work underground. Bring anything essential. Even if you don't need it now, if you might need it in a few weeks, bring it."

"Weeks?"

"Like I said, we don't know how long this could take. You can bring things to help you pass the time. Any reading or music devices you have, you can bring. Dorian will have to scan them, just to be sure there are no tracking devices, but you can bring them. Just try to limit yourself to one bag. The place is a decent size, but not big."

"Do we gave to stop for you to grab a few things?"

"No, I keep a bag in the trunk with a couple of extra changes of clothes, and a few essentials. I'm good. Once we get your stuff, we'll head under ground."

When they arrived at Jessica's house, John asked Dorian to wait in the living room and keep and eye on the perimeter. While Jessica packed, John looked around her house for the second time. The first time, he saw things with the eyes of an investigator. Now, he looked around as any other person would. While the decor was modern, he noticed the house wasn't high-tech.

"When was this house built?"

"1973. My grandfather built it when he found out he was going to be a dad for the first time."

"How long have you lived here?"

"About ten years."

"Really? After ten years, most people would have had this place turned into a smart house."

"Not me. I don't like the idea of a computer controlling my entire house. I've made a few updates, but nothing extreme. You wanna see the most important thing I put in?"

"Sure."

Jessica led John back to the living room. She walked over to a frosted glass case and flipped a switch. A light slowly illuminated inside the case, and the glass became clear. John pointed a finger in surprise.

"Are those actual printed books?"

"Yep."

"I haven't seen this many books since they closed the libraries when I was a kid." John looked around and saw that she had several of the cases. "Are all of these for books?"

"Yeah. My mom had a pretty large collection, and she couldn't bear to get rid of them. Even when e-publishing became mandatory, she kept her books. She bought print books until they became too rare and expensive. The cases are temperature and light controlled. They preserve the life of the paper and ink in long-term storage."

"There are lots of books in here by Ted Dekker."

"My mom was a huge fan of his." She opened a case and pulled out a large hardback book. "Especially these. The Circle series. Complete in one volume." She held the book in her hand as she closed the case. "I think I'll take this one with me."

"So, the most important piece of tech in your house was installed to preserve printed books?"

"Pretty much... and it's really not all that high tech."

"I kinda like that," John said with a smile.

Jessica smiled back and turned the light off before she went back to packing. As she laid one last shirt into the suitcase, she looked around the bedroom.

"Okay," she said. "I think that's it."

She zipped up the suitcase and John took it off the bed. "I'll grab this. You go send off that note to your boss."

Jessica nodded and went into her study. John stood by the door, watching her as she thought of how to word the letter. She stopped several times, fingers poised over the keyboard, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. When she was finally happy with it, she hit send.

"Done."

They walked into the living room, and Dorian approached John.

"I'll take the bag," Dorian said.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to think we're treating you like a service bot."

"It's fine. I'm offering." He glanced at Jessica. "Besides, I'm guessing you'd be more comfortable if my hands were occupied and John's were free. Am I right?"

Jessica looked almost hurt. "Look, it's not that I don't like droids. It has nothing to do with you specifically. It's just that-."

"You don't have to explain," Dorian said. "I understand. That's why I want to make sure you're completely comfortable with me being here." Dorian took the bag from John and walked toward the front door. "I'll put this in the trunk."

"I think I hurt his feelings," Jessica told John. "He is different, isn't he?"

"You have no idea. Come on, let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

John took a few side roads and detours on the way to the bunker, just in case they were being watched. He headed straight for a tunnel that appeared abandoned and unused for years. He drove inside for about a mile, then stopped. Dorian got out of the car and went ahead of them. John helped Jessica out of the back seat before grabbing her bag and escorting her inside.

"So," she said, "this is your safe house?"

"I know it's not much," John said, "but it is safe."

"That's what's important."

Once inside, John showed her to her bedroom.

"This will be your space," he said. "There's another bedroom for officers to share. We rotate shifts so I'll sleep while Dorian is awake and vice versa." John noticed a slight grimace cross over Jessica's face. "What's wrong?"

"I just... I guess I just hadn't thought about the fact that Dorian would be watching out for me while you slept."

"Look, I'm a shout away. Alright? But you'll be fine. No one's getting to Dorian." Jessica nodded, so John continued. "We'll all share the living area, and there's only one bathroom, so we'll have to share that, too. Just us, since Dorian doesn't need it. We can figure out some kind of schedule if you want."

"How about we just remember to knock?"

John grinned and nodded. "Knocking could work. Okay," John said, backing out of the room, "you get settled and I'll go check in with the captain and Rudy."

"Thanks," Jessica said with a small smile.

He nodded and made his way to the living area, where Dorian was sitting on the couch. John sat at the desk in the corner of the concrete room and pulled up a communication link, which was directly connected to the police station. He first checked in with the captain to let her know they made it to the bunker. Next was Rudy. His face popped up on the screen.

"How's it going, Rudy?"

"Fine, thanks. I hope you're not calling expecting some kind of breakthrough. This is a process, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Where are you in the process?"

"Still running the long version of the basic tests."

"We already know what that's going to show," John said. "Can't you start the more in-depth stuff?"

"I have to follow protocol. Basic tests first. We don't want to miss anything. Don't rush me."

John ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I know. Sorry. Just let me know the minute you find anything, okay?"

"Will do."

John turned in his seat and looked at his partner on the couch. "Hey, Dorian... Why don't you go charge? I think it'll be best if I keep the shift when she's awake."

"I agree. I think she'll be more comfortable that way." Dorian stood, but turned back to John. "You know, you really do need sleep, John."

"I'm fine."

"Are you having nightmares about that day?"

"I said I'm fine. Go charge."

Dorian disappeared into the bedroom where there was a charging station for droid officers. Jessica went into the living area a moment later to see John with his head resting on the back of the couch. Eyes closed. His head popped up at the sound of her voice.

"So, we just wait?"

"Basically," John said. "Rudy is still running the basic tests on your droids."

"What about food? I haven't eaten since lunch."

"Yeah, I could eat, too. I'll contact the station, and they can arrange a delivery. If pizza's okay with you for tonight, we can have groceries brought in tomorrow."

"Pizza's fine."

"Good. Make a list of some things you would want from the store. I'll pass that along."

The pizza arrived within the hour, and they sat on the couch and ate. After she ate enough that her hunger was gone, Jessica started playing with her napkin.

"What are the odds that we can actually link this back to him and make it stick? Honestly?"

"Honestly? I don't know. It'll depend on what Rudy can find."

"And he's your best?"

"Not 'our' best... the best. If there's something to find, he will."

Jessica nodded and stifled a yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry."

"Looks like the day is catching up with you," John said.

"Yeah. I think I'll try to sleep."

She gathered her pajamas and went to take her shower. When she was done, she and John said goodnight as she passed him on the way back to her room. John lay back on the couch. His eyes were heavy, but the moment he closed them, the weariness faded. It was almost as if his brain knew he was trying to sleep and refused. He decided to look over the file Jessica had taken from her boss. After a couple of hours, he went into the bedroom and woke up Dorian.

"Your shift," John said. "She's in her room. Everything's quiet."

Dorian made his way to the living area and John lay down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling until his eyes became too heavy to keep open, but sleep didn't come quickly, and when it did, it was filled with images of death. The death of his partner. The bomb that took his own leg. The entire scene replayed in his head, including her face. Ana. His girlfriend had betrayed him.

John bolted upright in bed, and wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Two years in a coma, and the memories that gradually came back to him felt as if they had just happened. His hand landed on his synthetic leg, and he remembered that he didn't bring his charger. Thankfully, the droid station would work. He sat on the edge of the bed closest to it and grabbed the top of the leg at mid-thigh. A good, strong twist and a metallic blue light cascaded down the limb, showing that it was disconnected. Once he was sure it was charging properly, he pushed himself back onto the bed and lay down. He knew he had to sleep, but all he could think about was piecing together the memories of that day. Those memories kept him awake.

John shook his head and ran a hand over his face with a grunt. He had to put that all aside for now. He was on a case. Protecting this woman, keeping her safe, that's where his thoughts had to be now. He began going over what he remembered of the file, in his head. As he drifted off to sleep, the memories of that day came back, but it wasn't his partner lying dead on the ground. It was Jessica.


	4. Chapter 4

John's eyes popped open. The room, having no windows, was completely dark. How long did he sleep? He reached for the bedside clock and turned it so he could see the numbers. 5:13 am. The last time he checked it was just after three. His nightmares had gone back to his memories. Jessica wasn't in them.

As he pushed himself to the edge of the bed, he threw the covers back. He carefully removed the leg from the charging station and reattached it. A hand slid through his hair as he sat there thinking. Maybe Dorian was right. Maybe he should stop taking the pills. They were helping him to remember, yes, but the nightmares were getting out of hand.

John stood in his black boxers and tank top, grabbed an extra set of clothes, along with his gun and holster, and walked to the door. He ran a hand over his tired eyes before going into the living area. Dorian sat on the sofa.

"You're awake. So soon?"

"Couldn't stay asleep. I'm gonna shower."

John shut the bathroom door behind him before Dorian could lecture him about needing sleep, or question him about why he wasn't sleeping. He adjusted the water temperature, making it hot. He stood beneath the steady stream with his hands on the wall in front of him, letting the water cascade over his head and face. Fifteen minutes later, he turned the water off and grabbed a towel. As he dried off, he heard voices through the door. Definitely Dorian, and the other sounded like Jessica. He dressed quickly and opened the door. He saw Dorian, still on the sofa, turned to look back at the hall that led to the bedrooms. When John stepped out, he saw Jessica standing against the edge of the wall in her dark blue pajama pants and matching top.

"Everything okay," John asked.

"Yeah," Jessica said.

"She was headed to the bathroom," Dorian said. "I was just telling her that you should be out soon."

"Bathroom's all yours," John said as he stepped out further.

"Did you leave your wet towels on the floor," Dorian asked.

"What?"

"You're sharing with a lady. Don't be a pig, John. Pick up behind yourself."

Jessica tried to hide her smile behind her hand. She could tell that Dorian liked getting under John's skin a little. When John looked toward her, she avoided eye contact.

"Everything went straight into the laundry," John said. "Okay?"

Dorian nodded and Jessica slipped past John, closing the bathroom door behind her.

"Is it in your programming to be such a pain," John asked Dorian.

"How exactly does suggesting you act like a considerate human being make me a pain?"

"You're killing me, man," John said as he plopped down on the other side of the sofa. John lay his head back and propped his feet up on the table in front of them.

"So...," Dorian said, "was it nightmares?"

John let out a sigh, knowing that Dorian wouldn't leave him alone until he talked about it.

"Yeah," John said. "Nightmares."

"Are you still taking Membliss? I told you about the effects of prolonged use. Do you want to hear the list again?"

"No," John said lifting his head from the back of the sofa. "I heard you last time."

"But you're still taking it."

"Two days ago... I took it two days ago, and I decided this morning not to take any more. Okay? I need sleep, and the memories are keeping me up."

Jessica emerged from the bathroom a moment later and walked up behind John.

"So," she said, "what do we do for breakfast?"

"This morning? Leftover pizza. Food supplies will come later based on what Rudy finds."

"Why based on what he finds?"

"Whatever he's found, or not found, will let us estimate how much longer we might be here."

"Got it." She walked across the room toward the kitchen, but turned to face John. "You want a slice?"

"Sure?"

"Cold or warmed?"

"Cold is fine."

Her eyes shifted to Dorian. "I'd offer to get you something, but I'm guessing you don't eat."

"You are correct," Dorian said, "but thank you for the offer."

Jessica nodded and went into the kitchen. John and Dorian shared a look. Jessica seemed to be trying to open up to Dorian, which was good. She came back with two plates and handed one to John before she sat down. The plush chair, which matched the sofa, was on John's side. She sat with one leg tucked beneath her.

"What are you doing up so early," John asked.

"I've gotten up around 5:30 to go to work for seven years now. I guess I developed an internal alarm clock. What about you? You went to bed hours after I did, and you're up."

John squinted his eyes. "How do you know it was hours after?"

"I had trouble sleeping."

"That seems to be going around," Dorian said with a smile.

"I could hear you talking to yourself sometimes," Jessica said.

"You're talking to yourself, John," Dorian asked. A smile pulled at his lips, and he tried to hide it.

"Not talking to myself... thinking out loud. Reading the file."

"I didn't mean to imply that you're crazy, or anything," Jessica quickly corrected. "I do it, too, sometimes. It helps me focus."

"Exactly," John said with a smile.

"So," Jessica said, "why are you up so early?"

"I wasn't sure what time you'd be up, and, knowing how you feel about droids, I didn't want to leave you alone with this guy over here," John said pointing to Dorian.

"You didn't have to do that," Jessica said. "You need to sleep."

"Yeah, that's what people keep telling me." He took a large bite of his pizza.

Dorian's eyes went from John to Jessica. "Shoving food into his mouth. That's his way of ending the conversation."

"Is it," Jessica asked. "Interesting. Okay then, subject change. What's with the gun and holster? This place is supposed to be safe, right?"

With his mouth still full of pizza, John couldn't answer. Dorian smiled and answered for him.

"That holster is like an accessory to him."

"No, it's not," John mumbled through the pizza.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Dorian said. "I think he wears it to sleep."

Dorian winked, and Jessica let out a laugh. John tried mumbling through the pizza again, but they couldn't understand him. He quickly chewed so he could respond, but Dorian beat him to it.

"Seriously, though, John believes in being prepared. Two things important to a police officer: his weapon and his partner."

John nodded. "That's what I was trying to say."

"And you said it beautifully."

"Shut up," John said. He tried to sound annoyed, but Jessica saw a slight smile. "Why don't you go charge?"

"Technically it's still my shift. Don't mind me, I'll just sit here."

"Great."

"How long have you two been partners," Jessica asked.

"A few years," John said.

"A few months," Dorian said, with a confused look on his face.

"Months," John asked. "Really? Feels like years."

"Very funny."

"At first glance, it looks like you two don't get along," Jessica said, "but you actually act like very old friends."

"Oh, he likes me," Dorian said. "If he didn't, I'd have ended up like his MX a long time ago."

Dorian smiled and John let out a chuckle. Jessica couldn't take not knowing.

"What happened to your MX?"

"I pushed him out of my car... while I was driving on the freeway."

"Oh my gosh," Jessica said with a slight laugh.

"The thing wouldn't shut up."

John and Jessica finished their pizza, and Dorian sat with his eyes closed. He quietly scanned Jessica, trying get a sense of her mental state by monitoring her heart rate, blood pressure, and other vitals. He felt a tension, but not quite as bad as when she first arrived at the station.

Her pulse suddenly quickened, and Dorian peeked through one slightly opened eye to find her looking at John as he lay with his head back on the sofa, eyes closed.

"When will we know what Rudy has found... or not found," Jessica asked.

John lifted his head. "The Captain should be in around 7:00. I'll give her some time to settle and then I'll check in."

Jessica nodded, then stood and collected their empty plates. As she walked to the kitchen, Dorian watched John. His eyes definitely followed her.

She was back a moment later, but told them she was going back to her room to read until it was time to check in with the Captain. John nodded and his head turned slightly as she walked past him.

Dorian smiled, but quickly hid it. He wouldn't tell on either of them... yet.


	5. Chapter 5

Jessica read just a few pages before she dozed off. Suddenly, she was back in her house. Her droid had her by the throat, but she wasn't able to pull away this time. As she struggled, the droid drove her to her knees, then flat onto her back. She kicked and punched, hurting only herself with each blow. Just as she began to black out, the droid was thrown away from her. She coughed and gasped for air. As the spots in her vision cleared, she saw her savior. It was John. He knelt beside her, on one knee. His hand went to her neck.

"Jessica, are you okay?"

She tried to answer, but only coughed.

"Jessica? Jessica..."

Where was that knocking sound coming from? She slowly woke and realized she had been dreaming. John's voice called to her through the door. She got up and opened it slightly.

"You okay in here," he asked.

"Yeah, sorry... I fell asleep."

John nodded. "I talked to the Captain. When you didn't come back out I thought you might have gone to sleep, since you said you had trouble last night. I didn't wanna wake you."

"That's okay. Any news?"

John tilted his head toward the living area and started walking. Jessica followed him to the sofa and they both sat.

"Where's Dorian," she asked.

"Charging... Rudy found something. It's a single line of programming. Almost unnoticeable. It creates a back door into the rest of the programming, allowing modification to basic functions and commands. Basically,-"

"It allows you to hack a droid and make it do whatever you want."

"Right."

"So, what now?"

"Rudy will backtrace it. He has to be able to link it back to your boss so we can arrest him and make the charges stick."

"Do you think he can do it?"

"I'd say it depends on how well he covered his tracks, but Rudy is really good."

"Okay. So, how long do you think it will take him?"

"No idea. The tech stuff isn't my field... but, food supplies are coming in time for lunch."

Jessica sat back into the sofa, looking slightly defeated. "I guess that's some good news."

"Hey, the back door into the programming is really good news. We found something. Now we just need to link it."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I just want to get back to my life."

"That's understandable," John said as he looked away.

"I'm sorry," Jessica said. "I'm sure you'd rather be out in the field, instead of babysitting me."

"Well, you're right. I would rather be out investigating, but... this is part of the job. You needed protection."

Jessica turned sideways, sitting with her legs tucked in close to her side as she leaned her elbow on the back of the sofa.

"What made you want to be a cop," she asked.

"My dad was a cop... and he loved his job. I think part of me always wanted to follow in his footsteps."

"Is he retired now?"

"Uh... No. He was killed."

"I'm sorry."

John shook his head as if to let her know it was okay. They were quiet for a moment, the silence just a bit awkward, until John spoke.

"Did you sleep better this time?"

"Not really... nightmares."

"What about?"

"My house droid attacking me. I'm not able to get away in the dream."

"But you did get away. That's just a nightmare."

"Still feels real."

"Yeah, nightmares can do that."

Jessica stared at him for a moment as he looked off in the distance. "What's your nightmare?"

"What makes you think I'm having nightmares?"

"You're having trouble sleeping, too... and I just get the feeling that you understand what I'm talking about."

John sighed. "It's kind of a long story."

"If you don't wanna talk about it, I understand... but I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Jessica smiled. "I'm kind of a captive audience."

John gave her a small smile. He really didn't want to talk about it, but he figured he could tell her a little of what happened.

"Well, the condensed version, we had a team together to do a bust. When we got there, they were ready for us, and we got ambushed. My partner was hit bad. I tried to get him out, but we got hit by an explosive."

"Oh my God," Jessica whispered.

"I lost my partner."

"I'm sorry... but you came out ok, right?"

"Yeah... Not really."

"Well, you look okay to me."

"The explosive hit my thigh. I lost my right leg. I was in a coma for over a year." Jessica's eyes went down to his leg, and he answered her silent question. "It's a synthetic."

"How long ago was that?"

"A couple of years ago."

"So, Dorian is your first partner since that happened?"

"Well, not if you count the MX."

Jessica smiled. "About that MX. Did you really push him out of your car?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Because he wouldn't shut up?"

"Yep."

"That can't be it. I mean, I've gotten really annoyed at my droids, but not to the point of wanting to push them out of a moving vehicle."

John smiled, but it faded. "Truth is... I don't like the MX's. They're programmed to follow protocol and assess a situation logically. Well, one MX thought that the logical thing would be to leave my dying partner behind because the lives of the many outweighed the one... but I wasn't leaving my partner."

"It left you?"

"Yeah. I was trying to get my partner out when the explosive hit me."

"That's why you've been so understanding with me. You don't really trust droids either, do you?"

"Not when it comes down to something that needs an emotional human response, no."

"But you trust Dorian," she said.

"He's different. He feels compassion. I've seen it."

"Yeah, I think I'm starting to get that. Even the way he talks... it's more human than any other droid model."

Jessica seemed to be lost in thought for a few minutes.

"Well," John said, "I haven't talked about myself this much since I got out of my coma."

Jessica smiled. "Thanks for sharing all that with me. It's nice to know more about the man who has my life in his hands."

"So, what about you? What do you have to share?"

"Oh, no... up until yesterday, my life was very average. Nothing really interesting."

"Really? The woman who's got more print books than I've seen in years? Doesn't like the idea of a smart house? In this day and age, that makes you a rare individual."

"I just live my life and try to enjoy it. Sometimes I think technology gets in the way of that."

John laughed.

"What's funny," Jessica asked.

"I was on a date a few weeks ago, and the woman spent all night on her phone."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not."

"That is so rude... and a little unbelievable."

"How is it unbelievable?"

"Well," she said with a slight blush, "you're far more interesting than any phone call I'd get."

John chuckled. "Now, that's unbelievable."

"Maybe, but it's true."

The two decided to watch a little television. She told John to find something that interested him. She was so tired that she was hoping she would doze off again. The food supplies eventually came. When they heard the knock on the door, John told Jessica to go into her room, just for precaution. They ate lunch, both of them very hungry, and then returned to the couch.

Jessica lay on her side with her legs slightly curled, and her head resting on the arm of the sofa. During a commercial, John turned to her to find her asleep. He couldn't help but smile, but he shook his head. Was she flirting with him before? He couldn't deny that he found her attractive. She was his type: brunette, smart. But she was his assignment. This was a job. He got up and went to her room, and grabbed a blanket from the unmade bed. He brought it back to the sofa and gently laid it over her, then he sat in the chair so he wouldn't disturb her. The television continued to play, but he found himself watching her instead.

Eventually, the television caught his attention again. A half hour passed before Jessica sat up with a gasp. John's head turned to her and he saw her eyes quickly taking in her surroundings.

"You okay," he asked.

"Yeah," she said as she rubbed her forhead. "Nightmare." She leaned back and closed her eyes. "These things can't haunt me forever, can they?"

"I hope not... for both our sakes."

Jessica looked at him, then down at her covered body.

"Thanks for the blanket," she said.

John shrugged his shoulders. "The way you were all curled up, you looked like you might be cold."

Four days passed with no more news. Jessica spent time talking to both John and Dorian, when they were awake together. She had gotten more comfortable with the droid, and she was actually beginning to like him. She hadn't dreamt the night before. Her exhausted body finally gave in to more than a couple of hours of sleep, and she woke up feeling better. John still struggled. Though the dreams weren't as vivid, and he was able to fall back to sleep, they were still coming, and Jessica had returned to them. Somewhere in his mind, he was afraid of not being able to protect her. That was the only explanation he saw for her dying in his arms the last two nights.

It was a little over an hour since Jessica had gone to bed for the night. John was still up. He decided to use his time to work on older case reports that never quite got finished. As he worked at the computer, he heard Jessica call for him, and she sounded distressed. He drew his gun from his holster and went quickly to her room. He threw the door open and held up his gun, prepared to shoot. All he saw was Jessica, asleep in her bed, her face scrunched slightly. She was having a nightmare. He put his gun back into his holster as he walked toward her, and she called out his name again.

"Jessica, wake up." John reached out, shaking her shoulder.

She woke with a short scream, sitting straight up.

"It's okay," John said. "You're okay. Just dreaming."

Jessica breathed heavily. "Thank you for waking me."

"Kind of hard not to... you called for me."

"I did?"

"Yeah. Wanna talk about it?"

Jessica sighed, and John sat on the edge of the bed. "It's the damned droid," she said. "It's always that droid with its hands around my throat. I can't get away, and I wake up in a panic. At least, my first night here. The next day, I had one where you actually saved me. That was when you woke me up after you talked to the captain."

"I remember."

"Well, that's how they've been going, and it's actually made the nightmares a bit easier to deal with, because I'm rescued before I wake up... but this one..."

John saw her eyes watering. "What was different?"

"I could see you... but you couldn't get to me. I don't know why. It was like you were right there. You could see me, but you couldn't help me... and I was dying. I was trying to call out for you, but I couldn't. I couldn't breathe."

Jessica covered her face with her hands. John put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You're okay."

She shook her head, still in her hands, and John knew she was crying. He pulled her against him and rubbed his hand over her back.

"It was a nightmare," John said. "You're fine."

"It felt so real," she said as she let her arms wrap around him. "And after not dreaming at all last night... I was really hoping this would be over."

John pulled her back and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Maybe this is what you need. You've been holding it all in."

"Maybe." They sat there a moment, John cradling her face in his hands. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome."

Before John could even think about what he was doing, he touched his lips lightly to hers. When he felt the pressure of her kissing back, he parted his lips slightly and the kiss deepened. Her hands rested on his arms as they kissed. It was when she moved her hands to his face that he pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be sorry. Please, don't be sorry." Her reply was breathy, almost a whisper.

"I can't," he said as he stood and backed toward the door. "I'm working. I can't let anything interfere with keeping you safe."

Jessica nodded and looked away. "I understand."

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

"Do you understand I really do want to kiss you?"

Jessica glanced at him again. "Do you?"

"Very much... but I can't. Right now, you're the job. That has to come first."

"What about... after the job?"

"After the job? Maybe I'll take you on a proper date."

Jessica smiled. "I'd like that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

John smiled, big and bright. "Get some sleep," he said as he left the room, closing the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

John went to bed with Jessica on his mind. She was dreaming about him, just as he was dreaming about her. He had saved her in her dreams, until that night. Dreams were funny things.

The kiss. He hadn't kissed anyone since Anna. He was leery about trusting anyone else, but there was something about Jessica that was drawing him in. He couldn't help himself. He was so grateful she had kissed him back. It was a big risk on his part, considering their situation. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to go back into her room and finish that kiss, but he had to stay focused on the job.

As he drifted off to sleep, he waited for images of death to start, but they didn't. He dreamed of Anna that night. One of his favorite memories, waking up next to her, watching the sunlight on her face. He brushed her hair away and the face changed. It was Jessica next to him. He realized the change, but it didn't seem odd. The dream continued with kissing and caressing, and John slept through what was left of his night.

The alarm on his watch went off at six a.m. He showered, then sat in the chair next to the sofa, where Dorian sat.

"You look like you slept better," Dorian said.

"Yeah, I did. Slept straight through."

Jessica came into the room, and John's eyes went straight to her.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning," she said. A slight blush colored her cheeks before she disappeared into the bathroom.

"John," Dorian said, "you made her blush."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did," Dorian said with a chuckle.

"She's probably just a little embarrassed. She had a really bad nightmare last night and she cried in front of me." John saw the lights flash across Dorian's face, and he narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Dorian said.

"Yeah, right, nothing... what are you-."

Jessica walked out, and John stopped. She came around and sat on the opposite side of the sofa.

"How'd you sleep," John asked her.

"Much better," she said with a grin. "Thanks."

"Looks like your internal alarm clock got a bit off," John said. His smile grew as hers did.

"I guess I was enjoying the sleep... and it's not like I have somewhere to be."

Once Dorian left to charge, Jessica moved to where he had been sitting, closer to John.

"Thank you for last night," she said. "I really did sleep better. Maybe I did just need to let it out."

"Don't mention it."

"And... about the other thing last night..."

"Look," John said as he leaned forward, "I don't want you to think that I was taking advantage-"

"I'm glad you kissed me. I really am. And I hope you don't think I'm being too forward, because I swear I'm not always like this," she said with a chuckle, "but I would love for you to kiss me again."

He stared at her for a moment before he stood and moved next to her on the sofa. He took one of her hands in one of his.

"It's not too forward," he said.

He let the backs of his fingers run across her cheek, placed his hand at the back of her head, and slowly pulled her lips to his.

Jessica sighed at the contact. She was almost afraid to kiss him back. She didn't want him to stop like he did before. She hesitantly parted her lips and felt him deepen the kiss.

John let go of her hand and held her face in both of his. His thumbs lightly brushed over her cheeks as they kissed. He thought about the dream he had the night before. He thought about how he had imagined it would feel to hold her completely, and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.

When their bodies met, a small moan escaped her lips, and she felt John smile. She ran her hands up his arms and wrapped them around his broad shoulders. One of her hands rested on his neck, her fingers playing in the short hair there.

They stayed that way for several minutes. The kissing became urgent, and hands began to grasp at clothing, just looking for something to hold on to. John finally pulled his lips away and kissed down her jaw, to her neck. Her breathing was heavy as her hand snaked into his hair, clutching it in her fist. Her other hand dropped down to his leg, and her hand passed over the metal band around his thigh. She unconsciously pulled back, remembering his synthetic leg.

John pulled away, a little confused by her sudden withdrawal.

"What's wrong?" He followed her eyes down to where her hand touched his leg, and his heart sank a little. "Does it bother you?"

"No," she said. She responded fast, so he would know that she meant it. "No, it just..." She looked into his eyes and ran her hand over his leg again. "Can you feel that?"

John shook his head. "No," he said as he picked up her hand and placed it higher on his thigh. "But I feel it here. That part's me."

"That works," she said with a smile.

John returned the smile and kissed her again, but didn't let it linger. He knew if they got started again they may not stop.

"Maybe we should cool it, huh?"

"I guess you're right," she said. "Don't want this going too far, too fast. Especially not in this dungeon of a place."

They ate breakfast, and then decided to watch television. John sat in the corner of the sofa and motioned for Jessica to join him. She sat next to him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her and rested on her hip.

They watched television silently for a while. Jessica's hand occasionally landed on John's synthetic leg, and she wondered about it. She had watched him walk. It seemed natural. He was still on the police force, so it couldn't interfere with his duties, but he couldn't feel anything. Part of her wondered what it looked like. Was it made to look human, like the droid models were?

John shifted slightly, snapping her out of her thoughts. She began to think about how it felt to be in his arms, and their kiss the night before. It was then that she remembered him stopping.

"I'm curious," she said, and sat up. "Last night, you pulled away. You said you couldn't because you had to focus on the job. Then, this morning we had that... amazing..." She smiled, struggling to find the word. It hadn't been just a kiss.

"Make out session," John asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah," she said with a bright smile. "I'm still the job. What changed?"

John sighed. "Nothing really, except that you told me you wanted me to kiss you again. I told you last night... I wanted to kiss you. I was thinking that after we both got some sleep it would pass, but..."

"But?"

John stared at her, then shook his head with a smile. "Come on... Isn't a guy supposed to have some mystery? Some secrets?"

"Not when he's got my life in his hands."

John thought about that. He thought about Anna and the secrets she had kept. If there was any chance that this attraction to Jessica was more than physical, he needed honesty. There couldn't be secrets.

"Okay," he said. He swallowed his pride, and pushed aside the embarrassment. "I thought about you all last night. Dreamt about you." When the words came out he thought they sounded creepy. He hoped he didn't completely freak her out.

"What kind of dream," she asked with a grin. Her cheeks were pink again.

John smoothed a hand over her hair. "Basically what we did this morning, but..."

"But?"

"We were in bed." John watched as Jessica's eyes widened a bit. "I promise," he said quickly, "it wasn't a sex dream. It was just like this morning, just... horizontal." He smiled and looked off into the distance.

"Are you actually thinking about it now," Jessica asked, trying to sound offended. Her laugh gave her away.

"Yeah, I am."

They both laughed for a moment, but Jessica brought the conversation back around.

"Okay," she said. "Nothing's changed. Where does that put us?"

"Well, if something would go wrong with your detail, and it was discovered that we started a relationship while we were in here, I could get put under review."

"You could lose your job?"

"Not likely."

"But possible?"

"I guess."

"I don't wanna be the reason you're not a cop. Especially not after what you told me about your dad."

"Yeah, but we've already decided we like kissing each other," he said with a smile. "And the odds of anything happening that would put us under review are slim."

"I don't know," she said. "Do you really want to risk it?"

John stared at her. Part of him was yelling that he didn't. The other part was thinking maybe it was worth the risk.

"John, you've just met me. You won't hurt my feelings. You love being a cop... don't risk it."

"You're right," he said. "Maybe we should take a step back." He moved to the chair and ran a hand over the back of his neck.

"And it's like you said last night... after the job..."

"After the job," John said with a smile, "we get back to where we were this morning."

"Deal."


End file.
